www.chinabuses.org: Pécs has been renewing its outdated public transport fleet since 2013, with new Allison-equipped Credo buses, being awarded the leading position in fuel economy and reliability.

Pécs, named the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2010, recently gained momentum in the renewal of its public transport authority bus fleets. Within the scope of this revitalization program, provider Tüke Busz Zrt purchased a total of 35 new buses delivering over three phases. The renewed fleet consists of two Citadell-19 articulated buses, five Credo Econell CiTY models and 28 Credo Citadell-12 solo buses, with all but one featuring Allison’s fully automatic transmission.

Istvan Paiger, chairman of Tüke Busz Zrt, said, “Facts already confirm that our overall costs have been reduced. The price/value ratio is very advantageous; the operation of these vehicles is far less costly than our other buses.”

Buses purchased as part of the renewal program, and those previously operating in Pécs, were produced by the Kravtex-Kühne Group, which was able to fulfill the order with a short lead-time. According to Paiger, they had heard about Allison, but had no direct experience with the product and began to investigate when Kravtex-Kühne offered the Allison fully automatic option.

“After visiting Allison’s production facility and the Allison Customer Experience Center in Szentgotthárd, we became even more confident about the product,” he said.

Data collected by Tüke Busz during the fleet’s operational assessment is convincing. In the first quarter of 2013, travelers had to suffer 7,700 missed routes due to varied technical problems. Since installation of the new Allison- equipped buses, missing routes decreased by 98.8 percent by the third quarter of 2013. Performance of the renewed fleet also confirmed increased efficiency, with fuel-consumption reduced from 13 to nearly 31 percent in solo buses and 6 percent in articulated buses.

Lajos Nagy, service station manager at Tüke Busz, likes working with these new Credos. Experienced in driving buses with different kinds of transmission technology, Nagy said these Allison-equipped models are very good: “Once electronic controls are calibrated, they learn your driving style quickly and the transmission delivers continuous power smoothly to the drive wheels. Operation is outstanding. In a year, the buses run between 40,000 and 100,000 kilometers and they have not stopped once because of transmission problem. Still, we feel that service is always available if needed, as Allison representatives are available to help in case of any questions,” said Nagy.

Parts of Pécs, located in the southern hills of Mecsek, present challenges in terms of steep, winding roadways, but according to driver Gabor Trapp, not for the Allison- equipped vehicles.

“These transmissions launch and accelerate smoothly on the slopes of Mecsek, much more than the ones I used before. This is very advantageous on the steep, narrow roads on my route. It makes driving easier and maneuvering safer,” Trapp said.

Source : www.chinabuses.org

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